PS Benefits ADHD

Okayama, Japan—Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 3–7% of school children, the American Psychiatric Association states. There could be a nutritional component to the condition, according to new data published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. A team headed by a Kurashiki City College researcher, based here, believes a soy-derived phosphatidylserine (PS) may help improve ADHD symptoms in kids.

For two months, 36 children (ages 4–14) with ADHD were either given a placebo or 200 mg of PS daily; none took ADHD medication. The children’s attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity were measured using several standard tests used to diagnose the condition. Overall, the PS group had improvements in short-term auditory memory (by about 17%) and ADHD symptoms (by an average score of 4.2); no such results were found in the placebo group.

Say the researchers, “PS supplementation might be a safe and natural nutritional strategy for improving mental performance in young children suffering from ADHD.”